Roman Empire

In ancient times the people of the city of Rome created a very large empire called the Roman Empire. Many modern countries are on land that was once part of the Roman Empire, including England, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt. The language of the Roman Empire was Latin. The European part of the Roman Empire continued for almost 500 years, and the eastern part including Greece and Turkey, called the Byzantine Empire, continued for about a thousand years more.

In order to control their large empire, the Romans created many important ideas about law and government. Many of their ideas are still important today. Many Roman leaders were called Caesar, including Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar.

The Romans fought many wars against other countries and enjoyed watching violent sports. They enjoyed watching races between chariots pulled by horses, and fights between men using weapons. Unlike modern sports, the Roman fighters were often really killed in these fights.

The Romans built many large buildings, aqueducts to carry water, and very good stone bridges and roads. We can still see some of these things today. Many famous writers were also Romans, including Cicero and Virgil.

The New Testament of the Bible tells about the Romans in the life of Jesus Christ. During Jesus' life, the Romans controlled his country. When he began to become famous, they were afraid that he wanted to become the king of his country, so they killed him.